Wednesday, 26 October 2016

#MovementMatters with Tommy's

Pregnancy can be an absolute rollercoaster of emotions, whether you are riding the highs of your first pregnancy to having anxiety in pregnancies following a miscarriage. There can be many worries, but the one that is quite notable is detecting a lack of foetal motion. Sophie and Lily are pleased to be teaming up with Tommy's to raise awareness about reduced movements.

I am expecting my third baby just before Christmas, and for the first time during my routine 28 week appointment lack of foetal movement was addressed. I cannot actually remember whether I had the same conversations with my midwives back in 2011 and 2014 which is a bit worrying. But more worrying still is that despite the information which your midwife should provide you with, a recent survey conducted by Tommy's showed that 52% of women would feel like they are 'wasting midwife's time' if they did notice any change in movements. Midwives would much rather see you, even if for peace of mind.

Reduced baby movements can be a sign that the baby is in distress and it is heartbreaking to think that babies' lives may be lost because woman are not aware of the absolute importance of monitoring foetal movements. Astonishingly, stillbirth rates are shockingly high in the UK. In 2015 the UK ranked 24th out of 49 high-income countries; for every 220 babies born in the UK, one is stillborn.

That is why campaigns such as this are so important, especially as recent research has shown that around half of women who had a stillbirth said they had noticed that their baby's movements had slowed down beforehand.

As many women as possible need to see Tommy's #MovementMatters campaign. In Norway, a similar campaign brought stillbirth rates down by a third which is incredible.Summary of Tommy's #MovementMatters campaign:

- To raise awareness about the importance of self-monitoring foetal movement during pregnancy, without scaremongering

- We want every mum-to be to understand that this is important

- We want pregnant women to know that they will not be wasting anyone's time if they have any concerns regarding foetal movement. It is important to go to the doctor straight away if they are concerned about foetal movement.

- We want women to be encouraged to trust their instincts.

If you can share this campaign today, please do so with #MovementMatters. And don't forget to watch this video:

Would you feel confident about approaching the doctor of midwife about reduced foetal movements? Would you follow your gut instinct?